Fort McMurray fire officials are prepared for another challenging day Wednesday as firefighters try to save the oilsands city from a massive wildfire that has destroyed homes and businesses, and forced the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta’s history.

Tens of thousands of people have fled north and south.

Fuelled by soaring temperatures that hit 32 C and tinder-dry forest, the fire broached the city limits and by 6:20 p.m. a mandatory evacuation order was issued for the entire city.

“Today has been a devastating day. We have had explosive fire conditions on the landscape brought on by extremely high temperatures” and low relative humidity, Bernie Schmitte, wildfire manager at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, said Tuesday night during a news conference.

“The fire is still out of control,” Schmitte said. “We have been challenged on many fronts as the fire came through the community. It has entered the community and it has gone through the community.”

Officials have accounted for about 53,000 people, including 17,000 people north of the city, 8,000 in Anzac, 9,000 in Lac La Biche, and 18,000 in Edmonton. Fort McMurray has population of 83,000. “This is not an exact science,” one official said when asked about the discrepancy.

No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported at this time.

Military help has been requested through the province. That assistance will come from the Army and Royal Canadian Air Force. It will take about two days for the military to respond.

There are about 150 firefighters tackling the blaze. Another 70 to 80 firefighters to arrive Wednesday, including fire crews from Edmonton which are being escorted to Fort McMurray by four marked Edmonton Police Service cruisers.

Travel in the area is tough. Officials said there is no more gasoline fuel in Fort McMurray, Wandering River and Grasslands.

Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen said temperatures are expected to hit 30 C and increased wind will combine for another challenging day Wednesday.

A wall of fire rages outside of Fort McMurray on Tuesday May 3, 2016. Terry Reith /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

Word came down late Tuesday that Noralta Lodge north of Fort McMurray was full and evacuees were sent further north to other work camps.

At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Premier Rachel Notley said that “this is bigger than Slave Lake.” The Slave Lake fire in 2011 decimated the town and forced the evacuation of 9,000 people.

Fort McMurray residents are wondering if they will have homes to return to, as the fire that started Sunday quickly overwhelmed firefighters and the city’s resources.

The first evacuation orders Tuesday came at 4:15 p.m., when the municipality ordered the evacuation of Abasand, Beacon Hill, Gregoire, Waterways, Draper, Saline Creek and Grayling Terrace. Residents were told to head to the Anzac Recreation Centre, about a one-hour drive south of Fort McMurray.

As they headed south, those people saw much of their city on fire. The immolation of the Centennial Trailer Park was nearly complete, with the flames stripping all that was flammable off the metal skeletons of mobile homes and vehicles.

Trees 20 metres from Highway 63 were burning, with thick smoke covering the highway. The McMurray Métis office was in flames and looked ready to collapse under the heat.

It was impossible to see into Waterways, which was hidden in yellow and orange smoke, but trees and buildings were burning.

Hundreds of trucks, cars, motorcycles and mobile homes had pulled over, engines choked by smoke or running low on gas. People sat dazed, many in tears.

At the turnoff toward Highway 881 and Anzac, most continued south toward Edmonton. At a gas station outside the Fort McMurray First Nation No. 468, the gravity of the day finally hit those that had stopped for gas or to take a break and call loved ones.

Merv Hansen was working construction at the Fort McMurray Islamic Centre in Abraham’s Land when he left. For most of the afternoon he could see one plume of smoke in the distance. He ran home when that turned into four, but arrived too late.

“The house I was in was gone,” Hansen said. “The smoke was so thick and there were still people going into their homes.”

Despite watching his home burn, he remained stoic as he waited in line for a gas pump.

William Blundon and his fiancée, Brenda Byrne, had recently returned to their home in Prairie Creek after staying at a friend’s place in Thickwood. Prairie Creek had been evacuated Sunday evening, but that order was lifted Monday.

“What I don’t understand was why everyone was telling us to go downtown at first, because you could see the fire coming in,” William said.

Those living in Thickwood, Wood Buffalo, Dickinsfield and the Lower Townsite packed onto Highway 63 and headed to Noralta Lodge, 21 km north of the city near a Suncor Energy site. But space quickly filled.

Timberlea and Parsons Creek were the last to be evacuated, with orders to leave coming in shortly after 6:20 p.m. Most residents had already left.

Cassandra Fountain left her Parsons Creek home to join family that had settled at Gregoire Lake Provincial Park.

RCMP set up a roadblock at the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 881 just south of the city Tuesday evening to allow emergency responders to to enter, said Graeme McElheran, director of communications at Alberta Transportation.

Highway 63 runs north-south through Fort McMurray and is a main thoroughfare for people heading in and out of town.

Alberta RCMP K Division spokesman Sgt. John Spaans said some evacuees pulled over to park and rest in towns on Highway 63 south of Fort McMurray, such as Wandering River and Mariana Lake.

“Were supporting the emergency response by the province,” Spaans said, adding that detachments from across the province have sent officers to help with the emergency response. “Our involvement at this point is to ensure public safety.”

Traffic was also being diverted at Highway 63 just north of the Village of Boyle, about 250 km south of Fort McMurray, to avoid further congestion on the highway.

All non-essential traffic to Fort McMurray on Highway 63 and Highway 881 was restricted, Alberta Transportation said Tuesday evening.

Syncrude Canada tweeted that employees are to stay at their work locations, and that shuttle buses leaving the site have been suspended.

While Shell’s operations 95 km north of Fort McMurray haven’t been affected by the fire, the company has opened its Albion Village work camp to any staff or their families who need a place to stay, spokesman Cameron Yost said.

Some workers opted not to return to Fort McMurray following the afternoon shift change, but he didn’t know how many people were spending the night at the camp.

As news of the fire spread, an outpouring of concern flooded social media.

Edmonton’s Catholic school district offered to open its 90 schools to evacuees.

“We would open the gyms in our 90 schools in the city and we could put mats in the gyms and then provide the basics to families if they would need a place to sleep,” said Lori Nagy, spokeswoman for Edmonton Catholic Schools.

“The province has said they’ll definitely get back to us if they think that’s something helpful.”

Jen McManus is the Alberta vice-president of the Canadian Red Cross. She said the Red Cross is working closely with the provincial operations centre to get supplies — cots, blankets, and personal hygiene products — to the people who need them. But getting them to the Fort McMurray area is a challenge.

“We’re waiting to hear how operational the airport is,” she said.

Numerous flights had already been cancelled as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Red Cross will also be working closely with the province to set up a family reunification service, so people can get in touch with friends and family.

In a crisis like this, McManus said generous people often want to donate used clothes and other things. But she said the Red Cross will not be collecting in-kind donations because they just don’t have the operational capacity to deal with those sorts of items. But the Red Cross would encourage financial donations at its website, http://www.redcross.ca

Alberta Health Services said 105 patients, including 73 patients and 32 continuing care patients, were hurriedly removed from the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in a 90-minute period early Tuesday evening.

The patients were taken by bus to an oilsands site north of Fort McMurray and are out of danger. AHS has arranged to have a 737 plane fly patients from the oilsands site. The flight was expected to take place late Tuesday.

“We are extremely grateful and proud of our AHS staff who have stayed with their patients and clients to care for them, despite their own personal situations caused by the wildfire in Fort McMurray,” AHS said.

The health authority said it began putting into a motion an evacuation of the hospital around 5:15 p.m., which continued until the last patient was taken out at 6:40 p.m.

AHS said a handful of personnel were still on-site around 7:30 p.m. to do a final walk through of the hospital.

Politicians were quick to respond to news of the destruction.

Wildrose official Opposition Leader Brian Jean left Edmonton for Fort McMurray to offer support. Jean is the MLA for Fort McMurray-Conklin and has a home in the city.

Notley said the focus was to get people safely out of harm’s way.

“All Albertans are watching this, all Albertans are with the people of Fort McMurray,” Notley said.

Notley also thanked the first responders and industry partners that are assisting with firefighting efforts.

The premier said she had already spoken with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about possible assistance.

Trudeau also took to social media to express concern about those affected.

As the evacuation orders rolled in, the municipality issued notices about suspending transit, and schools took steps to get students out of the evacuated areas and for students to be picked up early.

The mandatory evacuation order came within minutes of the region’s mayor urging people to get ready to flee.

“You are warned to be ready,” Melissa Blake, mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, said on Twitter.

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